Definition
by LightofDreams
Summary: Escaping a collapsing tomb may not be the best time to reflect on your perilous adventures. Yugi however, finds himself doing so...especially on the meaning behind the tomb's owner. One shot.


Definition

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh! or its characters!

_So I guess this could be a companion chapter to my other fic? (Your Move, Pharaoh) But I think it stands better as its own one shot. Cue angst and cheese._

_..._

'_My name is Atem!' _

Minutes had passed since the sentence was spoken. Yugi had just defeated his best friend, in his own tomb, setting him free to re-join the afterlife

He could still hear those words being roared by the pharaoh. They resonated through his bones and rang inside his skull. It drowned out the thunder of plummeting stones and his friends' screams as they raced through the collapsing tomb. Almost as though the Pharaoh's powerful baritone had caused the ancient cave to crumble.

Despite being the shortest, Yugi was ahead of his friends. He was feather light.

The Pharaoh's commanding stride was no longer surging through him. The small – but heavy- gold pyramid that usually bounced against his chest was missing. In the absence of the Pharaoh's warm charisma, the tomb's chill numbed Yugi's nerves, manipulating his mind to replay a certain image…

_It was hard to tell why Yami was glimmering. Was it Yugi's tears or the light that blazed through the stone doors to the afterlife? Still, Yami marched onwards through those doors. His posture is shifting! Maybe he'll turn back? _

_Yami's – no, Atem's – arm stiffly rose to give a solitary thumb's up._

_He didn't turn back._

Yugi stopped sprinting. He was the only stationary being in the world of chaos as pillars and walls continued to crash around him.

Clenching his fists, Yugi spun round, amethyst eyes straining to see the end of the hallway they had run from. He was met with an empty gloom where the ceremonial duel room once was.

His eyes scanned the murk, searching for one thing, and one thing only. No matter what the odds.

'_My name…_

Jagged stones cascaded towards Yugi, ignored. Dust billowed up in a suffocating storm, unheeded.

'YUGI!'

Yugi felt strong hands spin him around. He locked gazes with Joey, golden eyes alight with fear.

'We gotta go, _now_!'

The blonde yanked Yugi forwards, forcing him to hop up and restart the race against death.

'_is…_

Yugi clasped his friend's hand, pounding towards the glow that would surely get them out of here. Said light became smaller and smaller, darkness rapidly reaching out to embrace him. The crumble of rocks howled like Zorc, reverberating into the delirious cackle of Bakura…

'_ATEM!' _

Yugi and Joey made a leap of faith.

Heartbeats passed_._

An intense heat flared over Yugi. Coughs racked his small frame, forcing his eyes shut. Yet, a golden inferno stubbornly shone through his lids. Maybe the stone doors were reopening…

The surge of hope that dared Yugi to re-join reality extinguished as soon as it ignited.

The heat and light were nothing other than the Egyptian sun, mercilessly beating down on the aftermath.

Sprawled on the desert sand, Yugi blinked, assessing the damage. Closest to him, Joey mechanically got up, an uncharacteristic weariness slowing his movements. Quiet sobs escaped from Tea nearby, whilst Tristan held onto her. Ryou sat next to them, eyes unseeing, the only sign of life being an occasional twitch of his hand or foot.

The Ishtars huddled together. Ishizu stood straight and strong, mumbling to her brothers.

And of course, Kaiba had his back to all of them, his sights latched onto the horizon.

Groaning at the throbbing ache in his spine, Yugi shuffled to look behind him. And immediately wished he hadn't.

The once regal entrance to the Pharaoh's tomb was nothing but splintered rubble. Formerly towering over Yugi, the debris had flattened to land level, as though it had never existed.

_Almost as though Yami never existed._

Pure, electrifying panic crackled through Yugi.

He reflexively reached for the puzzle, only for his fingers to meet empty air. He cast out his thoughts like a child flinging out a kite, desperately probing for the mind link. Nothing.

Yugi never thought he would visit Egypt, let alone relate to it, yet his heart paralleled the sand dunes rolling out before him: vast and barren. He wondered if this is how Yami felt upon losing his memory. Now, Yugi was left with nothing _but_ Yami's most important memory, his true name. The irony made Yugi let out a quiet chuckle, which broke into a strangled sob.

Pearl-like tears dropped to the sand. Yugi forced himself to breathe, his spent muscles quaking with the effort.

'_My name…_

Breathe in.

'_is…_

Breathe out.

'_Atem.' _

Gradually, his body stopped trembling and his cries became silent. His knees gave one last shudder before giving way, allowing Yugi to melt into the desert. To others, the scorching sand would have burnt their skin unbearably.

But Yugi welcomed the heat.

The warmth was akin to the Pharaoh's heart. It had radiated through his encouragement to Yugi, the firm tenacity when standing against his enemies, the sheer determination to save his friends. Yugi buried into it, clenching handfuls of the golden powder.

'Yugi Muto.'

The gentle greeting came from above him, cool and soothing.

Yugi sluggishly lifted his head. Ishizu stood poised and dignified. However, her lips tightened as she scanned Yugi. The earnest twinkle in his eyes had fizzled out, leaving dull, purple orbs blearily blinking at her. Sand grains trickled off his wild hair and down his jacket, heightening her pity for the young man. Never had she thought one could look so defeated after reigning victorious.

Two more shadows materialised either side of the Egyptian. Odion and Marik offered their hands to Yugi. He shook his head, grunting as he got up by himself.

'I…thank you,' Yugi murmured, nodding at the siblings. 'I couldn't have done this without your help.'

Ishizu finally understood what the Pharaoh meant. Despite being broken, kindness still seeped through every crack of Yugi. He had his own kind of power, a strength so pure it was no wonder he was more than a match for the Pharaoh.

Marik shook his head, smiling. 'It was the very least we could do – it's part of being a tomb keeper! You and the Pharaoh saved us.'

Marik looked beyond Yugi at where the tomb had ensnared his life for so many years.

'Now, I can finally put all of this behind me.' he muttered.

Marik narrowed his eyes, fearlessly tilting his chin up. After taking his final fill, he began to walk away, turning his head back to speak.

'Yugi, it will be difficult. But I hope you can do the same. Farewell.'

Odion placed a firm pat on Yugi's shoulder.

'You know where to find us,' he assured, voice deep and calm. Without another word, he nodded at Ishizu before following Marik.

Ishizu did not go after them. Yugi swung his head from Ishizu, then to the brothers, and then back again. He tilted his chin at her.

Ishizu shook her head softly. 'Kaiba is not quite rid of me yet,' she explained. 'Now that the ancient relics are no longer needed, I will move them to a safer resting place. I'll be travelling back with him to do so, before re-joining my brothers.'

'You mean the Egyptian artefacts in Domino City Museum?' Yugi asked, already knowing the answer.

'Yes, Yugi.'

Yugi's face fell even more, if it was possible. He knew that he wasn't even that close to Ishizu - but it was too much. All this nothingness and emptiness, it was too much. He needed to let somebody in.

'There'll be nothing left for me to remember him by,' he whispered, voice cracking.

Ishizu bit her lip. How could she help someone remember the past she was trying so hard to forget? She watched Yugi's fingers clutch his shirt, trying to grasp the non-existent puzzle. Last time she had successfully helped the boy, she had given him her millennium necklace.

Oh. The necklace.

'Wait, I have something that may help you,'

Ishizu rummaged within the side of her white dress. A brief spark of amusement lit in Yugi. He made a mental note to tell Tea that Ishizu's dress had every girl's dream: _pockets!_

In Ishizu's outstretched hand lay the silver cartouche, gleaming in the daylight. Though Yugi couldn't read the hieroglyphics, he knew they spelt 'Atem'.

'How- how do you have this? I thought Tea gave this to the Pharaoh!'

The chain's metal chilled his skin as Ishizu handed it over, as though the cartouche was daring Yugi to deny its existence.

'I'm not certain. I retrieved it from the floor after your duel,'

Yugi cautiously put it on, relishing the return of weight around his neck. Ishizu looked up at the brilliant clear sky, which seemed to be the only thing unburdened by the day's events.

'Alas, the forces of fate still evade my comprehension,' she sighed. After a few moments, Ishizu closed her eyes and smiled, before locking gazes with Yugi.

'However, I think the Pharaoh's name will be safest with the one who found it,' Ishizu dipped her head. 'I must be on my way now, Yugi. May Ra guide you.'

'Thank you.'

Ishizu turned and left, her white robes gracefully swaying. Yugi refocussed on her gift, rubbing his thumb over the dips and rises of each hieroglyph. Whether it was hours or minutes that passed, he could not tell.

_If only I knew the meaning of all this._

'_My name is…_

'_Atem.'_

An idea bloomed in his mind.

Yugi pounded after Ishizu, leather boots slipping on the soft sand. He tripped before hurriedly regaining his footing, unabashed, and continued running.

'Ishizu!'

She turned around, holding out her arms to stop Yugi colliding with her.

'_Huff_, ah – Ishizu wait, please…'

'Yugi? What is the matter?' she blinked at the panting teen.

Yugi stood up, inhaling deeply. He looked Ishizu in the eyes, gaze so intense that she took a small step back.

'I just need to know,' Yugi's chest continued heaving. 'If you could tell me one more thing…'

He lifted the cartouche, allowing the hieroglyphs to spin lazily in the air.

'…the word Atem – what does it mean?'

Ishizu's mind was as blank as the desert. She was about to say that she didn't know. But Yugi stopped her.

Not with words or actions.

Just himself.

The young man was firmly clutching onto her dress sleeve, amethyst eyes rekindled with his earnest, sincere nature. She had to remember. For his sake.

Ishizu's eyes flickered, letting out small huffs of frustration as she raked through her mind. By the Gods, she had spent _years_ carving the scriptures into her skull and now she couldn't recall the definition.

Yugi seemed to pick up on this, slowly letting go of her. He sighed – he should have known better.

'It's ok if you don't. I just wanted my understanding of him to be more…complete, I guess.'

Ishizu clamped her hands on Yugi's shoulders, gasping.

'No, that's it! That's what it means!' she cried. Yugi blinked at her uncharacteristic outburst, wondering if her brothers had ever seen her this ecstatic.

Seeming to remember herself, she cleared her throat and brushed down the front of her dress, unlatching her vice-like grip.

'The word Atem is actually a variant of Atum – which means to be complete, or completion.'

'Oh,' Yugi murmured. 'I'm not quite sure what to make of that,' He waited for a spark, a ground-breaking revelation. Nothing.

Ishizu smiled knowingly, her eyes shimmering with mystery.

'Not yet you don't, young one,'

'Wait what? What does that -

Before Yugi could finish, Ishizu turned her head. 'Ah. It appears Kaiba wishes to speak with you. I'll leave you two to your business.'

Sure enough, the Kaiba was marching towards him, face stoic. Ishizu brushed past him, dipping her head. Kaiba hesitated before awkwardly nodding in reply.

'Yugi…your dweebs are already on my aircraft, so hurry up. Just because you're King of Games doesn't mean I'm going to wait on you,' Kaiba growled.

Yugi was still looking at Ishizu, mouth agape in thought. After hearing the impatient tap of a boot, he jerked his head up to meet Kaiba's signature scowl.

'Huh?'

'Yugi! Did you just hear anything I said? Or are you going to be the Pharaoh now? So self-absorbed and dramatic that he expects the entire world – both real and fanstastical - to revolve around _him_ –

Chime bells of nervous laughter came from Yugi as he waved his hands in apology.

'Sorry – I'm just a bit distracted,' Yugi held up the cartouche. Kaiba raised an eyebrow.

'Oh great. A tacky souvenir for all this madness.'

Yugi let out a small huff of a chuckle. At least some things never changed.

'You're taking us back? On your Blue-Eyes jet?'

Kaiba folded his arms. 'I'm not going to repeat myself,'

'Thank you Kaiba – it's very generous of you.'

'Whatever,' Kaiba muttered. He narrowed his eyes, frowning at the cartouche.

'That has the Pharaoh's name, right?'

'Yep…'

'What is it?'

Yugi was about to reply, but as he stared into Kaiba's cerulean eyes, he realised that the adventure had ended the way it had begun – with Kaiba. Yugi felt the surge of confidence he first experienced when he duelled Kaiba with his grandfather's deck. Like a star bursting into flame, the Pharaoh's valor reignited within him, thrumming with every heartbeat and seeping through his bloodstream.

Having regained his memories and losing to Yugi, the Pharaoh – no, Atem – had become complete, just like the meaning of the name itself.

The courage Yugi learnt from Atem - to believe in the heart of the cards, and more importantly, himself – would be something he would always treasure. It was going to be a while before the wounds healed.

But Atem would live on within him.

'His name…

Yugi stood up straighter, grinning. Kaiba's eyes widened at the light radiating from Yugi, more blinding than Blue's Eyes's White Lightning, the stone doors to the afterlife, or the surrounding sun.

'His name is Atem!'


End file.
